1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gloves and more particularly relates to work or sport gloves comprising elastic polyurethane sheet materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As work or sport gloves, a cloth glove having its palm coated with rubber latex, i.e., the so-called rubbered glove has so far been known. Such rubbered gloves in general are rather thick and exhibit poor air permeability, so that they are not comfortable to wear. Moreover, the rubbered gloves are not adaptable for use in precise and minute work or sport activities that require an exquisite and delicate feeling or sense of finger touch which is appreciably reduced by the gloves.
Further, waterproof gloves composed of synthetic resin sheet materials, such as film, by means of heat-sealing are also well-known. Since the materials have little elongation, those gloves are usually formed in a size considerably larger than the hand, so that they do not fit on well when wearing, which demerit along with the slippery surface thereof causes difficulties similar to those of the above-mentioned rubbered gloves.
As an improvement of the above, gloves consisting of a thin elastic film of synthetic resin or rubber are well-known as well. Those fit well on the hand, while, however, the wearing properties are deteriorated either by intense tightening of the hand due to a comparatively high modulus of the elastic film or by accumulation of sweat inside due to the lack of air permeability.
Fibrous sheet materials such as woven fabrics, knitted goods, nonwoven fabrics and the like are most suitable for providing adequate air permeability, whereas in fact sheet materials as thin as to substantially retain an exquisite sensibility of touch are poor in dimensional and textural stabilities, wherefore the texture will be disarranged even by slight friction, so that they are not suitable for work or sport gloves.
In order to provide such sheet materials with improved dimensional and textural stabilities, many attempts have heretofore been made to develop processes for bonding constituent fibers together at cross-contact points thereof in the sheet material by means of a resin finish, etc. which, however, causes stiffening and significant reductions in elasticity which greatly affect the wearing properties as well as the sense of touch of the hand.
We, the inventors, have recognized the fact that gloves particularly suitable for work and sports are obtainable, eliminating entirely the various disadvantages in the above-mentioned existing gloves, by applying elastic polyurethane nonwoven fabrics which were proposed by the present inventors in the Gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-223,347 and thus the present invention has eventually been accomplished.